Making Banking Simple

Additional Content

Q: Why does Thrivent Financial have a bank?

A: The bank meets the desires of our members, who look to Thrivent Financial for Lutherans as their financial provider. When you add the products and services of Thrivent Financial Bank to those available through Thrivent Financial, we really can serve all your financial needs. And with us, you are not just a number. You are a member, and trust is at the center of that relationship.

Q: If I don’t live near one of your branches, can I still use Thrivent Financial Bank?

A: Absolutely. Convenience is the top reason people choose a bank. A few years ago, customers wanted a branch where they worked, played and lived, and the industry built branches on every street corner. Today, convenience is still the No. 1 concern, but how customers define it has changed. Today, convenience is ATMs, online bill pay and no hidden fees. In fact, ask people when they last visited their bank and the typical response is, “I don’t remember.” At Thrivent Financial Bank, we offer the full range of online banking services, surcharge-free ATMs across the country and a product line without hidden fees.

Q: How can Thrivent Financial Bank compete with my local bank?

A: We are a full-service bank and more. Anything you can get at your local bank, you can get with us—from personal accounts to business accounts as well as trust and investment management services. And we’ve priced our products to be competitive at the regional and national levels. While we may lack brick and mortar in your community, you can interact with us in a number of ways—through our online services, the call center or our automated telephone banking. You also can contact your financial representative.

Q: I’ve never seen a Thrivent Financial Bank ATM. What kind of fees will I see if I use another ATM?

A: Our ATM fleet is small, but we have purposely gone beyond owning and deploying machines to create partnerships with other networks that provide tens of thousands of machines across the country that are surcharge-free in most cases. Depending on the checking account you have, you can get from four to six withdrawals totally free per month.

Q. You are relatively new to your role at Thrivent Financial Bank. Where did you come from and why did you make the move from a larger bank?

A. I was born and raised in the Midwest, my father was a banker, and I have been in banking all my life. I spent 20 years with Bremer Bank in St. Paul, Minnesota, where I learned how important banking is to people and communities. Thrivent Financial Bank, whose principles and values align with mine, allows me the unique opportunity of being able to bring my faith life and work life together.

Q. Where is Thrivent Financial Bank located?

A. Physically, we have four Thrivent Financial Bank branches—two in Minneapolis and two in Appleton, Wisconsin. We also have regional lending offices in Milwaukee, Chicago, St. Louis and Golden Valley, Minnesota. But, with our complete online services and our surcharge-free ATM networks, we really are as close as your home computer or the nearest ATM machine.

Q. What makes Thrivent Financial Bank different from other banks?

A. The No. 1 difference is how simple we can make it for you to do business with us. If you already have a product or products with Thrivent Financial, we know you and can use the information we have to pre-approve you for products and services. At Thrivent Financial Bank, even though we can and do serve anyone, our primary focus is the nearly 3 million members of Thrivent Financial. We’re not trying to compete in the mass market. The second difference is the experience we can deliver. It’s the Thrivent way of doing banking—an uplifting, confident and trusted experience with us.

Q. I understand that the bank has customers in all 50 states. How do you convince people to bank with you when there isn’t a branch located nearby?

A. Their desires make the decision to bank with us or not. And that is based on who we are, what we stand for and how we do business at Thrivent Financial Bank. We put trust at the center of every relationship. It’s something we take seriously, and we don’t assume it. We know we have to earn it. And we do that through excellent customer service, a wide range of online services, our association with Thrivent Financial and our network with the financial representatives in your communities.

Q. How does banking fit in with the other products—such as life insurance and retirement—that I have through Thrivent Financial?

A. Our products complement the products Thrivent Financial representatives offer. Our wide array of products—including checking and savings accounts; certificates of deposit; and mortgage, consumer and student loans—are services every household in America uses. Our relatively new Health Savings Accounts will help people save on health care costs now and plan ahead for handling health care costs in their retirement years. And our trust and investment management department can help you manage your assets and leave the legacy you want to leave. We can help with debt management, and we offer business banking services and church construction loans and other programs to help serve congregations. Finally, we have the Charity Rewards program, a unique credit card that enables people to use their points and pay cash to the charity of their choice, including their local congregation.

Q. Is my Thrivent Financial representative a liaison to the bank? 

A.Definitely. A large percentage of our business originates with a field representative referral to the bank. Currently about 75 percent of the bank’s clients are members of Thrivent Financial.

Q. How can the bank serve my congregation?

A. We have effectively partnered with the church loan department of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans to provide congregations with both construction lending and permanent financing. But we also are taking the opportunity to expand our offerings to congregations, including business checking and savings accounts, cash management accounts, business credit cards, and trust and investment management to handle endowments. And the Charity Rewards credit card is a great way for church members to increase their giving without increasing their donation budget.

Q. Like most people, I have a lot of concerns about online security. What protection does Thrivent Financial Bank offer in this regard?

A. We take your security concerns very seriously. Our information security policy is one of the most important policies we have, and we have taken tremendous steps to ensure our system is secure. First, the online Web site is registered with Verisign, an industry leader in Web site identification and encryption. Via your browser, Verisign allows you to confirm the online banking Web site’s identity before transferring any personal information, and it uses 128-bit encryption to scramble personal information, which stays scrambled while traveling over the Internet. In addition, we have an online guarantee that includes zero-liability protection, a bill payment guarantee and security when paying bills online. You can set up your own customized user ID and password, which is only known by you and can be changed at your discretion.